Staly
Well-known member
They were pretty good. I saw them supporting MBV. The Sperm Wails that is.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Indietracks Festival / all things C86 and indiepop!
- Thread starter Flex Your Head
- Start date
They were pretty good. I saw them supporting MBV. The Sperm Wails that is.
redoubtable seagull
Well-known member
- Oct 27, 2004
- 2,548
I was hoping for a lazy day today but now I'm going to have to hunt down my sperm wails flexi disc!
This is what makes NSC great!
Amazing what this thread throws up. I was University in Leeds from 1984-88. Indeed I decorated my student bedroom one summer whilst listening to C86 endlessly!
Must have been at a few of the gigs mentioned on here. Friday nights at the Phono were a regular for me. I was a huge Wedding Present fan right from the start - remember seeing them at the Royal Park pub, the Tartan Bar and Ritzys during the 1986 World Cup when they wore England shirts - which was a very unusual (and brilliant) stance to take back then. Other highlights I remember - The Go Betweens at the Warehouse, James (did anyone go to the one that ended up in a riot ? Thankfully I missed that one.) The Weather Prophets, Butthole Surfers at the poly, the Fall numerous times - Brix at her best at the Poly one night. Husker Du in the Riley Smith Hall. Must have been loads of others. And of course The Clash busking on the steps of the union bar - how bizarre was that!
Must have been at a few of the gigs mentioned on here. Friday nights at the Phono were a regular for me. I was a huge Wedding Present fan right from the start - remember seeing them at the Royal Park pub, the Tartan Bar and Ritzys during the 1986 World Cup when they wore England shirts - which was a very unusual (and brilliant) stance to take back then. Other highlights I remember - The Go Betweens at the Warehouse, James (did anyone go to the one that ended up in a riot ? Thankfully I missed that one.) The Weather Prophets, Butthole Surfers at the poly, the Fall numerous times - Brix at her best at the Poly one night. Husker Du in the Riley Smith Hall. Must have been loads of others. And of course The Clash busking on the steps of the union bar - how bizarre was that!
Flex Your Head
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #2,464
Rob, the singer from The Sperm Wails, had a later band called Chester who I really liked. I put them on in Brighton at the end of the last century with The Norma Jeans and Anal Beard to about 30 listless punters. Their album 'Malpleasurability' has some really great tracks on it but there's nothing online.
I know he started a band called Blowhole a few years back with another member of The Sperm Wails and they include some of their old 'classics' in the set.
Simgull, blimey, if you saw us at the Royal Park, you must have been one of about five people! I think it was just Peter with the England shirts (and Leeds Utd scarf made into a guitar strap)
I remember many of those gigs, the Go-Betweens, The Fall, Husker Du (I remember they filled the gaps with feedback, which made it an assault after a while), and that bizarre Clash gig on the Refectory steps. We were in the Faversham, someone said the Clash were playing in the corner (with acoustic guitars), they moved to the steps and one of Chumbawumba covered them with paint for being "sell-outs"... ironic really!
I remember many of those gigs, the Go-Betweens, The Fall, Husker Du (I remember they filled the gaps with feedback, which made it an assault after a while), and that bizarre Clash gig on the Refectory steps. We were in the Faversham, someone said the Clash were playing in the corner (with acoustic guitars), they moved to the steps and one of Chumbawumba covered them with paint for being "sell-outs"... ironic really!
Last edited:
Flex Your Head
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #2,466
Coincidentally, following on from recent gig reminiscing, my old mate Simon put up a picture on Facebook of flyers he'd held on to since the early 80's. Some real crackers here, (and some shit involving The Exploited and GBH, both of who I loathed).
Very sad to say I am too bloody ill to see Frontline Assembly (born in 86) at the Garage tomorrow. This track is seminal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755rOEFX-OA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=755rOEFX-OA
Flex Your Head
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #2,468
Another flyer from the Facebook group I mentioned the other day. Anyone here at that Go Betweens gig?
http://www.facebook.com/groups/1485750291699467/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/1485750291699467/
CorgiRegisteredFriend
Well-known member
Can't read The Serious Drinking flyer very well but I saw them at The Basement around about that time. And Blyth Power.
Ah Shaun, I did n't realise until now who you are(!), in fact I'd always assumed all of the Wedding Present were from the north!
I remember the Royal Park gig quite well and having a chat with Keith in Brudenell Road beforehand -definitely more than 5 people - maybe 30-40 , I somewhat regret throwing out a poster I had a few years ago - black and white with an American football player on it - £1 entry! I also saw you at the Fulham Greyhound around the same time and I think the Tartan Bar gig may have been even earlier? - the Royal Park certainly was not the first time I saw the band play.
I do clearly remember you all wearing England shirts at that Ritzys gig (Pete's Leeds scarf strap was a regular item) - it was such a different era then, back then liking football was something you almost had to defend - this was in the aftermath of Bradford and Heysel and pre-Gaza's tears - and to associate yourself at all with supporting England was almost unthinkable (In most people's eyes this was the domain of NF supporting hooligans only) - being a mad football fan myself I thought it was great.
I don't remember the paint incident with The Clash - I remember them singing Pressure Drop and then Joe Strummer coming round asking for donations - although a massive Clash fan as a pretty broke student I thought it was a bit crap really - after all I'd spent quite a bit of my pocket money on their records and seeing them a few times whilst still at school -where had all the money gone?!
Something else about LS6 I only found out recently - Henry Rollins said on his radio show the other week that he'd lived in Leeds in one of the Harolds also in the late 80's - I lived in Harold Grove (or Grave as we called it) at the time but have no recollection of seeing someone who would have cut a pretty distinctive figure at the time.
Dug out some old ticket stubs for interest -mainly from Leeds. Soup Dragons must have been their pre-dance days. The Wedding Present/Kaleidoscope Pop ticket is hand written in felt tip pen. Stallones, Kirkgate is a venue I don't remember - must have been quite a glamorous place surely!
tinycowboy
Well-known member
Simgull, you've reminded me of my WP t-shirt with a picture of a dinosaur on it; it said something like "Ten hands, ten feet, five heads" on it and I never saw anyone else with it. Think I picked it up at a ULU gig. Shaun, did this have some kind of deep meaning, or did you just like dinosaurs?
I do still have the George Best carrier bag - presumably given out when buying the album.
Looking at those tickets above - interesting to see how the prices to see the Wedding Present went up from £1-£2-£3 to £6 in a few short years
tinycowboy
Well-known member
You're obviously a bit of a hoarder! My George Best carrier went long ago. I think I actually used it as a bag rather than looking after it properly. I remember when gigs were cheap and you could ring up the venue to get hold of them, and they didn't sell out in three minutes to touts, but some gigs are still relatively cheap - I paid £6.50 to see Kid Wave at Sticky Mike's a few months back. Luckily, I'm not an Adele fan.
Oh, and Staly, if you read this, I saw your "frat boy" comments a few pages back. One day, you will join me in praise of the first Weezer album......
Staly
Well-known member
I was at the 1987 Leeds Poly Fall gig. I remember Brix playing guitar lying on her back during Copped It.
I also saw the Pixies and Throwing Muses at the Poly on what must have been their first UK tour.
The Husker Du gig was apocalyptic- I've still got a cassette of that somewhere.
I saw the Wedding Present at The Outlook in Middlesbrough in what must have been early 86. There were about 10 people there. Good gig tho...
I also saw the Pixies and Throwing Muses at the Poly on what must have been their first UK tour.
The Husker Du gig was apocalyptic- I've still got a cassette of that somewhere.
I saw the Wedding Present at The Outlook in Middlesbrough in what must have been early 86. There were about 10 people there. Good gig tho...
Most of the Leeds post-punk bands were formed by students at the University or Poly, and TWP were no exception - two Mancs (though David was born in Leeds, he was brought up (like Peter) in Middleton, Manchester, where he went to school with The Chameleons), Keith from the North East, and a Sussex boy. I've always been an Albion fan, though it is weird playing Leeds because we used to sing "Marching All Together" in the van on the way back from gigs.
The paint with The Clash was right at the end. I didn't see it very clearly, but there was a bit of an (ahem) kerfuffle and Chumbawumba made a bit of a thing of it afterwards. No, I don't remember Henry Rollins, you'd think we'd have noticed him on the Brudenell Road?!
I did go to a lot of those gigs you have tickets for. We actually supported The Shop Assistants, I'm wondering if it was that gig. I did bang a beer keg for a mate's band who supported them another time too, also with The Pastels as the main band. I also used to love Age of Chance back then, those first two singles - Motor City and Bible of the Beats were both soooo good.
I think the dinosaur on the t-shirt was Godzilla? David's always been massively into comic books, and several of the earliest t-shirts were cut from comic books - there was a Godzilla one, but also a couple with a War Picture Library/Commando theme, and a robot one too...
The paint with The Clash was right at the end. I didn't see it very clearly, but there was a bit of an (ahem) kerfuffle and Chumbawumba made a bit of a thing of it afterwards. No, I don't remember Henry Rollins, you'd think we'd have noticed him on the Brudenell Road?!
I did go to a lot of those gigs you have tickets for. We actually supported The Shop Assistants, I'm wondering if it was that gig. I did bang a beer keg for a mate's band who supported them another time too, also with The Pastels as the main band. I also used to love Age of Chance back then, those first two singles - Motor City and Bible of the Beats were both soooo good.
I think the dinosaur on the t-shirt was Godzilla? David's always been massively into comic books, and several of the earliest t-shirts were cut from comic books - there was a Godzilla one, but also a couple with a War Picture Library/Commando theme, and a robot one too...
Flex Your Head
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #2,477
I saw the Pixies / Throwing Muses gig at the Top Rank in Brighton. I only went because I managed to get on the guest-list - one of the perks of working in a record shop - and hadn't been that impressed with what I'd heard until then. The Pixies just blew me away. Absolutely awesome.
I saw Husker Du, who were my favourite band at the time, when they played their UK debut at Camden Palace. It was free to get in as it was being filmed for video release. Had to endure a set by James King and the Lone Wolves first which, as I had an absolutely cracking headache by then, just seemed to go on and on and on. When Husked Du finallycame on, they tore the place apart. You can still find footage of me flipping my wig down the front in my powder blue cardigan. Rock and roll.
CorgiRegisteredFriend
Well-known member
I went to that Pixies concert too. I had forgotten that Throwing Muses were supporting until reading your post and don't really remember much about them playing. I think I have a tape of the whole gig somewhere hidden away. Most Top Rank events ended up on cassette usually for sale in North Laines market.
tinycowboy
Well-known member
Age of Chance. "Kiss" was a bit of a shocker, an early example of "there's always been a dance element to our music".
Staly
Well-known member
Used to encounter them at Leeds gigs in their cycling gear on occasion...
Sorry that we seem to have turned this thread into "reminiscences of Leeds in the 80s". Superbly random.